Roman Calendar

Friday, November 29, 2013

Stoic Week Lunchtime Exercise (Controlling Emotions) - Day 5

Today’s Lunchtime
Exercise: Controlling Emotions

The Stoics developed many strategies for
controlling unhealthy and excessive desires and emotions. For example, a whole
text by Seneca survives on Stoic remedies for anger. We’ve already looked at
many aspects of Stoic “therapy of the passions”. However, in this section we’ll
look in more detail at one of the most famous Stoic psychological exercises:
the premeditation of future “evils” or adversities (praemeditatio futurorum malorum).

There are many references in the surviving Stoic literature to the
strategy of anticipating future catastrophes and preparing to face them in
advance by patiently imagining them, as if they were happening already.
Typical examples include bereavement, poverty, exile, illness, and, perhaps
most importantly of all for the Stoics, one’s own death.

By repeatedly picturing future “catastrophes” as if they were
already happening, the Stoic could not only reduce anxiety about them, in a
similar way to how 'exposure therapy' in CBT today can reduce anxiety attached
to specific situation,but also rehearse
judging them in accord with his ethical principles, as being “indifferent” with
regard to his ultimate wellbeing and fulfilment. Picturing even their own death
in this way, repeatedly, day after day, allowed the Stoics to develop a
habitual “philosophical attitude” in the face of adversity, when it happens for
real. We know from modern research that the best way to overcome anxiety is to
actually “expose” yourself to the feared situation in reality, repeatedly and
for sufficiently prolonged periods. However, we also know that simply picturing
the same event in the mind, repeatedly and for long enough, often works almost
as well.

To begin with, you should not do this with anything that seems
like it might lead you to “bite off more than you can chew”. Don’t imagine
things that are deeply personal or traumatic until you’re definitely ready to
do so without feeling overwhelmed. Begin by working on small things that upset
you. Don’t let yourself worry about them, just try to picture the worst-case
scenario patiently, and wait for your emotions to abate naturally. Remind
yourself of the Stoic principles you’ve learned. In particular, the maxim that
people are upset not by external events but by their own judgements about them,
particularly value-judgements that place too much importance on things that are
not under your direct control. Try to spend at least 20-30 minutes doing this
each day. You might find it helpful to keep a record of your experiences as
follows:

1.Situation. What is the upsetting situation
that you’re imagining?

2.Emotions. How does it make you feel when you picture it
as if it’s happening right now? How strong is the feeling (0-100%)?

3.Duration. How long (in minutes) did you manage to “sit
with it” and patiently expose yourself to the event in your imagination?

4.Consequence. How strong was the upsetting
feeling at the end (0-100%)? What else did you feel or experience by the end?

5.Analysis. Has your perspective changed on the upsetting
event? Is it really as “awful” as you imagined? How could you potentially cope
if it did happen? What’s under your control in this situation and what isn’t?

If your anxiety level hasn’t reduced to at least half its peak
level then you might need to pick an easier subject, or else spend more time on
things to benefit. Use the natural “wearing off” of upsetting feelings as an
opportunity to re-evaluate the situation in a more rational and detached
manner, i.e., from a more “philosophical” perspective. What do you think a
Stoic like Seneca, Epictetus, or Marcus Aurelius would make of the same
situation? How might you view it differently if you had mastered the “virtues”
of practical wisdom, moral justice, courage and self-control? Take your time to
note down what you can potentially learn from this experience.